Law and Order
by CrystalDream
Summary: Daniel is a respected lawyer in Amity but when Mrs. Manson wants to sue Phantom, his alter ego, for the alleged kidnapping of Samantha Manson, Danny's career is no longer the only thing in danger. In order to save his life, he must accept Vlad as his fa..
1. Prologue: The Case

Summary 

Daniel is a respected lawyer in Amity, but when Mrs. Manson wants to sue Phantom, his alter ego, for the alleged 'kidnapping' of her daughter, Danny's career is no longer the only thing in danger. In order to save his life, he must accept Vlad as his father... Pre-PP. No slash. Slightly AU.

Alternate Summary

Twenty-one year-old Danny Fenton is a high profile lawyer in Amityville, but his career as the most prestigious lawyer in the city isn't the only thing at risk when one of the richest citizens in the community, Mrs. Manson, wants him to help her sue none other than Phantom. Eventual DxS. TxV.

_Hey all! I know it's been...forever...but I had to post this once I thought of it :) I'm not really sure if I'll continue posting- depends on what you guys think...this is just the prologue though; that's why it's quite short :D_

_It's kinda AU- Danny, Tuck and Val all know each other- Sam's out of the picture for the moment._

_Anyways, I haven't much else to say- except enjoy and comment!_

_-Crystal_

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I pulled on my blazer and grabbed my briefcase before dashing out my front door. I could hear my heart beating as I checked my watch for the fifteenth time.

_Stupid Plasmius! _I thought to myself. Because of his ridiculous urge to pillage the town in the middle of the night, I'd only gotten about three hours of sleep the previous night. _Being a lawyer by day and Phantom by night is really getting in the way of my me time… _I thought, annoyed. I brushed my hair in the elevator's mirror and took a last bite of the sandwich I'd managed to put together before leaving the house. I ran out to the parking lot and, almost spilling my coffee on my white shirt, I pulled my car keys out of my pocket and stuck them into my car's ignition. Pressing on the pedal, I drove borderline speed limit all the way to the courthouse.

I parked my car in front of the courthouse and hurried into the building before the media could catch a glimpse of me. Those cameramen were insane; they were like the paparazzi of law. I met my client, Mrs. Valley inside. We headed to the courtroom, where I spent the next two hours of my day fighting for Mrs. Valley, the state senator's mother, in a case concerning breaking and entering and armed robbery, and successfully proved to the judge that the other party was guilty. At the end, I walked my client out, and we were both swarmed with questions by the media who'd been waiting for us outside. The cameras were flashing lights every which way and microphones were being shoved at my face. I answered with my standard reply, "Information concerning the case will be released by the court when they see fit, and until then, I'm sworn to secrecy." I walked Mrs. Valley to her car and then headed towards my own, dodging questions such as, "How does it feel to be defending the elite of our nation?" and "To what do you owe your continuous winning streak in court?"

I got in my car and maneuvered my way out of the parking lot, trying not to hit any of the media guys on the way out, although I must admit, it might've been kind of satisfying to do so. I drove to my office, a few miles away from the courthouse. I parked outside and walked in, greeted Karen, my secretary, and then headed into my office. I hung up my coat and no sooner had I sat down then had Karen walked in.

"Excuse me, Mr. Fenton?" she popped her head in my office. "Mrs. Manson is here to see you."

"Let her in, please," I said, nodding in consent.

I stood up to greet my client, a middle-aged woman who looked like she'd undergone almost twenty different cosmetic surgeries throughout her life. She wore a deep shade of red lipstick and her blonde hair was tied in a tight bun. I reached out my arm to shake her hand but she hardly acknowledged it; she nodded stiffly as if to acknowledge my general existence and sat down promptly in her seat. Slightly disconcerted, I put down my arm and sat back down in my seat. I opened my mouth to speak, but was saved the trouble of having do so.

"Mr. Fenton," she said, looking deeply in my eyes, "I desperately need your help."

_Bit of an odd way to start off an appointment, but okay, _I thought_. _"Well, Mrs. Manson, just let me know what the problem is and I'll see what I can do," I said, clasping my hands together on the desk.

"My house has been pillaged, vandalized and absolutely ruined by an absolutely despicable creature and I need your help."

Frowning, I replied, "I'm very sorry to hear that Mrs. Manson, but don't you think that's more of a police matter? I'd be happy to direct you to Seargent Patters-,"

Her eyes blazed. "Mr. Fenton, you need to hear me out. My house was completely destroyed and my daughter was kidnapped. I've already spoken to a private detective and he's compiled all the clues," she said as she pulled out a file from her large Louis Vuitton purse. "Here's what he's gathered. He referenced me to you, and I need you to help me. We believe we've found the perpetrator but we still need your help to bring him to justice. My husband is extremely broken up about this…if you could help us…" Her eyes were now pleading.

"I'll see what I can do," I said as I took the dossier from her hands. I kind of didn't have the choice but to help her out. I had never met her, but I'd had a run-in previously in the year with her husband. He'd helped me recover a serious wound I'd acquired during a ghost fight. He was a doctor at the hospital, but he agreed to make a house-call and stayed practically all night until I felt better. I definitely owed him one.

I opened the file and flipped through the notes the detective had written. They were basic notes; notes about the state of the house. I un-paper clipped an envelope and pulled out the contents. I spread out several close-up photos on my desk. The images depicted fingerprints and of some sort of pink gooey substance. The surroundings in the pictures seemed familiar to me for some reason.

"Dreadful, isn't it?" she lamented, before changing to a more business-like tone, "But I think I can help make your job easier. After all the information that's been compiled, the clues all points to one criminal."

"And whose that?" I asked, as I flipped to the next page of the dossier.

My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat when she answered the question.

_"Phantom."_


	2. The Beginning

Hello again :D I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. Like I said before, it was more of a prologue. This is where the story really starts.

Anyways, I really love reading reviews so don't hesitate to comment ;D

Enjoy!

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I plopped down on my friend's couch. "Hey," Tucker called from his kitchen, "Are you in the mood for Brazilian or Kenya blend?"

"Neither, thanks. I don't really want coffee right now," I replied.

"Hey, all the better," he decided, coming into the living room. "I don't even know how to make those weird coffee blends, anyways. I only have them because of Valerie."

I wasn't really paying attention to what Tucker was saying- I was still in complete shock over what had happened with Mrs. Manson. How on earth was I supposed to defend my client against myself? How was I supposed to show up to the hearings as Fenton AND Phantom? On the other hand, it was probably safer for me to be Mrs. Manson's lawyer- at least that way I could make sure Phantom stayed safe.

I was interrupted from my conflicting thoughts by Tucker's hand, which was waving in front of my face. "Dude, what's with you? You've been dazed all through the movie and the ride back here. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Ah, just work stuff…" I answered, trying sound casual. It was eating me up inside that I couldn't tell Tucker what the problem was- he was the only one who knew about my alter ego; he was the only one who could help. _Stupid client confidentiality rules_, I thought, irritated.

"Aw, cheer up, dude. Whatever it is, I'm sure it can't be that bad…" I threw him a look that said _'You have no idea…'_

"Come on!" he continued. "Just think, in two days, you and I will be hitting the slopes in Switzerland for seven days- no work, no girlfriend, no strings," he winked.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Tucker, you're crazy about Val. I know you're not really thinking about hooking up with someone else."

"Not for me, moron. I'm talking about you!"

"Oh no!" I said, panicked. "NO way! I've had enough of you and Valerie trying to hook me up with girls who 'have great personalities'! It always ends up being the worst night of my life. Every _single _time!"

"Come on, man! You work until nine in the evening every night and then spend the early morning fighting off ghosts. You'll never meet a girl this way! And I'm not getting married until I know you're, at the very least, engaged," Tucker pointed out.

I shot him a death glare. How did he get _marriage_ from _Switzerland_? He's like my parents. "Why?"

"Because we promised each other, in grade school, that I'd be your best man at your wedding and vice-versa. You aren't denying me the pleasure of making a speech that people will actually be forced to listen to, Danny."

I couldn't help but smile a little. As _if_ he remembered that promise. "Yea, but if I remember correctly, Tuck, we only made that promise in order to give us something to look forward to on a day that would otherwise be the beginning of a miserable life."

Apparently deciding it was time to change the subject, he asked, "Are you packed yet?"

"Yeah, I'm working on it," I sighed. "You?"

"Nah," he said with a careless, throwaway attitude. "I pack the morning of." I shook my head and my smile grew_. What would I do without Tucker…?_

_Ding dong!_

Tucker checked his watch. "Oh yeah," he said as he got up to answer the door, "Val said she'd be over around now to chill with us." He opened the door and was greeted by a kiss from a young woman clad in a light pink sundress and wearing her curly hair in a ponytail.

"Hey Val," I said, leaning towards the door and waving.

"Hey, Danny," she echoed my greeting as she entered the living room and took a seat near me, (Tucker was still standing at the door- dazed by Val's kiss). "So," she said as she put down her purse, "How's the life of a high-end, high-profile lawyer treatin' ya? Those paparazzis still watching your every move?"

I nodded. "Unfortunately." Ever since I'd taken the case against the mayor last year (and won), I'd been the feature of more tabloids than Britney and Lindsay combined (I'd even been featured in _Hunk Weekly_…not that I like to brag about it or anything…). I'd also been more in demand than ever, especially from the richer citizens of Amityville.

She headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. "Aw, well don't worry about it, hun. It'll stop eventually," she sympathized.

I was about to follow her into the kitchen to get a snack from Tucker's ever-junk-food-filled fridge when I heard a loud crash outside the apartment.

_Oh no…_ I waited with baited breath until I heard, "I am the BOX-GHOST! Fear me and my cubic ghostliness!" I let out a sigh of annoyance. Tucker had left the room, so I took the liberty of transforming on the balcony, where Valerie couldn't see me. I ran out to the balcony and concentrated on my ghost half, the way I always did when I wanted to tranform. Right away, two blue rings appeared around my waist and then parted, each one making its way to one end of my body. Replacing my usual jeans and t-shirt was a black HAZMAT suit. My hair was silvery white, as were my gloves, belt and boots. I could almost feel the glow of my green eyes as I blinked. I heard another crash and hurriedly flew up to the top of Tuck's building.

"Hey, box-freak!" I called, getting the ghost's attention, who was building some sort of a fort with the moving boxes around him. "I've been fighting you since I was fourteen! When are you gonna let up?"

"Are you mad, child? You think a mere seven years of fighting will discourage me, the ultimate ghost of FEAR?" he laughed in his annoying, shrill voice.

"Apparently not," I whispered under my breath before shooting an ecto-ray in his direction.

The fight lasted for all of three minutes- I managed to corner the ghost and suck him into the Fenton Thermos, which Tucker had managed to rig so that it would appear with my suit whenever I transformed.

I flew back to Tuck's balcony and transformed back into my human self. Thankfully, Valerie was still in the kitchen and hadn't noticed anything.

As I settled back into the couch, Tucker, who had returned from the washroom, whispered, "Box Ghost?"

I nodded.

He rolled his eyes. "What a pain," he said. "Well, all we need is some good entertainment to relax," he decided cheerfully. Tuck picked up the remote and opened the television to his favorite show, _Law and Order. _Thanks to this unwelcome reminder of my profession, my thoughts, against my will, drifted back to my appointment with Mrs. Manson. I was pondering how the detective could have possibly determined that it was Phantom who'd caused the damage at Manson's house. Unless…

Realization hit me like a ton of cement. _Duh! It must have happened yesterday while I was fighting off Plasmius. But then, that would mean that Plasmius must've kidnapped her daughter…that's impossible. He left the scene before I did. Well, maybe he went back to get her…_

_But why?_

As Val brought out the coffee, I realized that maybe Tucker was right. All I really needed was to relax. Some time away from work, away from ghosts and I'd be able to clear my mind long enough to worry about this whole Phantom situation.


	3. The Trip Switzerland

Thanks to all who reviewed and please enjoy this chapter! (It's a bit longer). Please review!

Crystal

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Chapter 3 : The Trip (Switzerland)

Tucker threw his scarf on the bed in the hotel room. "Dude! This place is amazing!"

I had to admit, he was right. The hotel service and location was amazing, and the room was equipped with everything from jets in the bathtub to a mini-bar.

"Yeah, isn't it? But come on, we're not staying in here all day- we've got some slopes to hit!" I said enthusiastically.

He rubbed his hands together. "Now you're talking. And hey, maybe you and that cute blonde from across the hall will hit it off," he winked.

I gave him a warning look. "Don't try anything, Tucker." Usually, you wouldn't have to worry about your best friend trying to hook you up with a total stranger in a foreign country, but this is Tucker we're talking about. He'd have tried to hook me up with the president if she was female and standing three feet away from us.

He shrugged. "Your loss, man. She's a total babe."

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at Tucker's shameless attempt to hook me up as I grabbed my skis and headed out to the hotel van, which was due to leave in ten minutes for the Mount Claris slopes; they were a few miles away from the hotel. Outside, wind whipped against my face and blew through my hair. I have to admit though, it felt good. It helped me to wipe Mrs. Manson and the whole Phantom-Fenton situation out of my mind for awhile. That's no small feat, considering I tend to obsess endlessly about things like that. However, I'd managed to decide that as soon as I got home, I would pay Plasmius a little visit and try to find out if he knew anything about Ms. Samantha Manson. But for now, skiing was my priority.

I climbed into the bus and took a seat. Tucker joined me and nudged me in the side. "Dude…" he whispered. "The chick is sitting behind us. Make your move."

I glared at him. "Tucker," I whispered harshly, "If you do not stop this now, I _will _transform right here and blast you all the way to Tacoma."

"Okay, okay!" he said, backing away from me slightly. "Yeesh...try to help a brother out and this is what you get..." he muttered.

When we arrived at the slopes, Tucker and I put on our skis on the bench. I climbed up onto a chairlift and turned to tell Tucker something, but instead, I was greeted with the face of the blonde who'd been sitting behind us in the bus.

"Oh, hi," I said nervously, "I'm so sorry, I think I must've gotten on the wrong seat." I instinctively shot a look behind me and saw Tucker waving with a huge grin. He shouted, "See you at the slopes, dude!" I scowled at him.

"That's alright," she answered with a smile and a small wave at Tucker. "It's actually your friend who asked me to sit next to you…if that's alright?"

"Yeah, of course!" I answered quickly so as not to insult her. While I kind of resented Tucker for doing this to me…again…I was also kind of grateful. This girl was definitely good-looking. Her blonde waves fell to her shoulders, her cheeks were rosy from the cold and her green eyes seemed to sparkle with life.

"I'm Alejandra," she said, extending her hand.

"Oh, right. I'm Daniel," I said nervously, shaking her hand and simultaneously almost dropping one of my skis. I grabbed for it while still holding onto her hand and accidentally pulled her towards me.

"Oh, I'm really sorry," I said, flustered.

She giggled. "Mm, that's okay. I find your klutziness cute."

I couldn't help but smile and made a mental note to thank Tucker later. We got off the chairs and headed to the very top of the snowy mountain. I saw Tucker with his skis and a grin on his face. I nudged him in the side and mouthed a thank you. The three of us spent the next three hours skiing, though Alejandra and I stayed particularly close. When we got back to the hotel lobby, Alejandra pulled me over.

"Listen Danny, I'm staying at the hotel for a few days, and I was wondering if maybe you would, um…" she trailed off nervously.

I coughed nervously. "Um, would you maybe wanna go out tonight?"

She nodded vigorously, her smile accentuating her dimples and her hair bouncing up and down. "I'll meet you at seven!" she called as she walked towards the elevators.

_Wow, she's so cute…_I thought as she walked away, giggling with a friend who'd been waiting for her at the lobby.

Tucker snapped me out of my daze. "Ahem. Something you wanna say?" he asked in a high, knowing voice.

Usually I'd resent his told-you-so attitude, but I was too happy. "She's awesome. Thank you so much, Tuck; you're the best friend ever!" I affirmed happily, just short of giving him a hug.

Satisfied, he led the way to the elevator. We stopped at the fourteenth floor and headed for our room.

"Oh snap!" I said, just realizing something.

Tucker gave me a look of inquisition. "'Sup?"

"I don't have any date clothes…all I brought was jeans and sweatpants." Tucker smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked suspiciously.

"All taken care of Dann-io. I anticipated something like this would happen and took the liberty of packing your suit pants and a shirt."

Frowning in disbelief, I entered the room and rummaged through my suitcase.

"In the zipper pocket!" Tucker called from the bathroom. I could almost hear his smile.

I unzipped the large pocket and pulled out my pants and a yellow shirt. "Aw, Tuck! This is the shirt Valerie got me for Christmas…"

"You don't like it?" he asked, coming out of the washroom with a towel in his hands.

"Well, yellow's just not really my colour…"

He leaned against the wall and threw the towel on the bed. "Dude, you look better in colour than in white," he said matter-of-factly. I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay, so those were Val's words, but I think she's right."

I sighed. "Fine," I said reluctantly. I took my stuff out of my bag and headed for the washroom to get ready. After changing and shaving, I forced a hairbrush through my unruly, black, wavy hair and sprayed some cologne. At seven, I left the room, leaving Tucker to watch swedish cartoons.

I made my way down to the hotel restaurant. The maitre d' showed me to my table; the restaurant was beautiful. The table, covered with a shining silver tablecloth, was decorated with a rose in a vase and a small scented-candle. I ordered some champagne while I waited for Alejandra. Just as I was handing the drinks menu to the waiter, I looked up and noticed Alejandra walking to the table. I almost had to put my hand to my face to stop my jaw from dropping.

Alejandra was clad in a tight pink dress with falling straps. She looked absolutely gorgeous with a silver barrette in her hair, which was pulled into an elegant updo. I stood up to pull out her chair for her. "Y- you…um, you look beautiful," I stammered while giving myself a mental slap on the forehead for sounding like a total idiot. She laughed, her voice like bells. "Thanks," she answered. "You look dashing yourself."

I smiled nervously and sat back down in my chair. She picked up the menu from in front of her. "So, you said you're from the United States, right?" she asked as she skimmed through her menu.

"Yeah," I answered. "And you?"

"My dad's Spanish, but my mom's French. I was actually raised in France," she said.

_Wow. I love Tucker so much right now. She's gorgeous, she's French, and she's a model._

"Oh really? Your engl-," I started but she interrupted me.

"My English is perfect?" she smiled. "Yeah, I get told that a lot. I did a few semesters as an exchange student in Canada. But you never told me what you do for a living?" she asked curiously, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

"Oh, I'm a lawyer," I said, momentarily reminded of my work problems. _No, just don't think about Mrs. Manson or her stupid "Kill Phantom" case….you're on a date with a French model here…don't obsess, don't obsess, don't obsess…._

My thoughts were interrupted by a scream. I snapped out of it and looked at her. She was trembling and pointing behind me. "G-g-g-Ghost!" she screamed again. This time, her screams were echoed by those of everyone in the restaurant.

I turned in my seat to see none other than Plasmius, floating above a table at which an elderly couple was sitting. I cursed under my breath. _Does he have to follow me __**everywhere**__? _I dashed for the washroom and transformed into Phantom. I pushed open the door and flew up behind Vlad and blasted him, but to my surprise, he created a force field around him before even turning around to look at me.

"Oh Phantom, you don't really think a simple blast of energy can destroy the all-powerful Plasmius, do you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, Vlad. Don't you ever let up? I travel to the other end of the world and you still follow me? At this rate I'll have to get a restraining order."

"Daniel," he drawled, uncharacteristically ignoring my banter, "I've come to make you a proposition."

"Let me save you some time," I said, powering up to shoot a mega-blast at him, "NO."

He smacked his lips and shook his head. "I really think this might interest you, Daniel. It's concerning a Miss Samantha Manson."

My eyes widened as I stopped my mega blast power-up. "I knew it!" I exclaimed. "So you did kidnap her! You know Vlad, that's really low. Even for you. I mean come on, kidnapping a child?"

He laughed ominously. "Oh dear. I suppose her mother didn't show you a picture, hm?"

"What are you talking about, Plasmius?"

"Samantha's no child. Why, she's roughly your age," he said, raising an eyebrow.

I was slightly taken aback. "Well, child or not," I argued, regaining my previous equanimity, "You have no right to steal someone from their home!"

"Yes, well. I suppose that proposition isn't looking too bad right now, is it, now?"

I shot him a venomous glare. "What do you want, Plasmius?"

"I have something you want, and you have something I want," he annonced. "I've…ahem…spoken with Mrs. Manson," he said, accentuating the word 'spoken' in a way that made me shiver, "And we came to an agreement. If you bring back her daughter, she'll drop all charges and you're precious alter-ego won't be at risk."

I scowled. "And how am I supposed to get Samantha Manson? After all, you _are _the one who kidnapped her. "

"I'll gladly give her to you. In exchange for a little something that I've been asking for the last few years," he said.

"What?" I replied, irritated. "Would you just get on with it?"

"I want you, naturally," Plasmius said, the corner of his mouth mounting.

"I've told you time and time again, Plasmius. I'm not going to be your son!" I yelled. I took this moment to realize that the restaurant was empty- everyone including the waiters had disappeared- so I felt completely comfortable with yelling at the top of my lungs.

"Oh Daniel, I'm really quite tired of your ridiculous tenacity. We both know that if we joined forces, we could rule the world. So, will you join me or not?"

My eyes narrowed. "When. Pigs. Fly." I said, blasting an ecto-ray at him. He dodged it, and then shook his head.

"Daniel, I'm warning you. If you don't do as I say, you _will _regret it," he threatened, his voice menacing.

I powered up for another mega-blast, but as I did so, he pulled his cape around him like some sort of Dracula. "You will regret this, boy!" he said, and with a snap, he disappeared.

I released my blast against the wall in anger. _Who does he think he is! _I punched my fist into my other hand, as I always did when I was really ticked. _If he thinks I'm not getting Samantha, saving my identity __**and **__avoiding a lifetime of misery as his son, then he doesn't know Phantom. _


	4. Samantha Manson

Here's chapter 4! Don't forget to leave your comments- it's good for morale -grin-

Enjoy!

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Samantha Manson

The restaurant now completely empty, I transformed in plain sight and dashed up to my room. I shoved the room card key into the slot and burst through the door.

"Dude, what happened?" Tucker said in surprise as he pressed the mute button on the remote. "Your date only started half an hour ago."

I ignored his remark and rushed to my bag, from which I took out my blackberry and opened the GhostZone application Tucker had downloaded for me. He threw the remote on the bed and came over to see what I was doing.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Ghost trouble?"

"Plasmius decided he'd pay me a little visit during my date," I grumbled.

"Yikes. What happened to the chick?"

I rolled my eyes. "_Alejandra_," I said, accentuating her name, "Ran off with all the other people from the restaurant. She'll be fine…I just need to get to the Ghost Zone…**now**."

"Why?" Tucker frowned. "Plasmius is gone, isn't he? Why don't you just leave him alone and finish up your date? You know, I hear women these days are really into the whole 'rescue the maiden from the monster' bit…or 'from the ghost' in this case."

"Tuck, it's not about Plasmius…I, uh- I need to go get something from in there before Vlad decides to blast it to pieces." _I don't know what he meant with that threat, but I have to get in there and get Samantha before he does something to her. _"Tucker, look, I really need to go," I said as I pressed a yellow square on my phone's screen. Immediately, a hologram portal shot out of my phone. I had managed to find a way to make portals appear whenever I wanted by copying the original portal into my phone's memory system. All I had to do to get in the Ghost Zone was open the right application and press the 'Activate Ghost Zone' button.

Tucker nodded. "See ya in a bit, Danny."

I transformed into Phantom, sending a shiver up my spine, and put my foot the hologram while still tightly holding onto my phone. I pressed the 'Activate' button, and after suffering from a brief bout of vertigo, I opened my eyes and found that I was in floating in the middle of an endless sea of greenness: the Ghost Zone. I started flying through the Zone, searching behind doors and boulders for Samantha.

"If I were Vlad," I mumbled under my breath while opening a door that lead into some place called Fairy World, "Where would I hide an heiress?"

Just then, I heard a very unwelcome voice from behind me. "You needn't look for her, boy."

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before turning around to face my smirking arch-nemesis. "Vlad. What a surprise," I managed through clenched teeth.

"No need for hostility, Daniel. I've simply come to give your precious Samantha."

My eyebrows shot up for a moment but then my eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why?"

"Oh I'm most certainly not taking back my promise. I've certainly got something in store for you, my boy…that is, unless you've changed your mind about joining me? It would save you a lot of pain," he said, his lips curling into a smile.

I scowled in response. Who did this ghost think he was, exactly? I wouldn't join him if my life depended on it...

"Alright. Whatever you want, my boy. I just decided that since either way, I'm going to end up getting what I want, I may as well make your life easier by giving you the girl." He gave a small sigh and snapped his fingers. Instantaneously, a young woman about my age appeared next to him. Her hands were tied behind her back and she had a handkerchief wrapped around her mouth. She was struggling so hard to get out of her bonds that strands of hair were falling on her face.

"Here you are, child," Plasmius said, gesturing to Samantha Manson. "Now if you two don't mind, I have some things to take care of." And with a snap and a wave of his cape, he disappeared. I stood there in shock for a moment before I realized that Samantha was still tied up.

Apologizing, I rushed over and started untying the ropes around her hands as well as the cloth on her mouth. "Are you alright, Miss Manson?" I asked.

She gave a small huff. "Ugh, would you let go of me? I don't need some ghost helping me."

Slightly offended, I backed off. _That's not exactly what I was expecting to hear…_ "Okay…um, look, we need to get out of here before Vlad changes his mind and comes back for us."

"Right," she scoffed. "Like I'm going anywhere with you. I'll find my way out of here on my own," she said contemptuously as she brushed off her skirt.

"Good luck with that," I said, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow. "There's no way for humans to get out of here."

She had already started looking around for a way out, but when she realized that there were too many portals and doors, she turned around to face me. "Fine," she said impatiently. "But get on with it. I have places to be."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, your majesty," I muttered under my breath. _**You **__have places to be? I have places to be…places like with a gorgeous model. _

I pulled out my phone and pushed the Ghost Zone button. As I waited for my app to load, I got my first good look at her. She had hazel eyes and shoulder length black hair, and was wearing gold heels and a white, professional-looking, ruffled blouse and black skirt. She looked as though she was about to step onto the red carpet or something.

Samantha caught me looking at her and glowered. "What're you looking at, ghost?"

I sighed in annoyance. "Look, just tell me where you want to go so we can get on with this."

"Home," she said curtly. "To Amityville."

"Fine," I said and typed Amityville in the outgoing bar on the phone. "Hold onto my hand."

Reluctantly, she held onto my hand and in a moment, we were back in Amityville, near the country club. "There." I said shortly. She seemed slightly disoriented for a moment, but she almost immediately regained her previous, uptight composure. She brushed the hand that had been holding mine on her skirt, as if I had dirtied it. Insulted, I announced, "Now if that's all, _I_ have places to be," and held up my phone, promptly transporting myself back to my room in Switzerland.

After another brief moment of dizziness, I opened my eyes and found myself in my hotel room.

"That was fast," Tucker noted as I threw my phone back into my suitcase and transformed to my human half.

"Yeah," I said dryly, still bitter about the way that uptight, bad-tempered, country club elitist had treated me. I sighed. "Anyways, I really should go find Alejandra and apologize fo-,"

"Uh, Danny?" Tucker interrupted, "Alejandra came over to leave a message. She said she didn't appreciate the way 'you disappeared the second your precious life was in danger and that she didn't want to ever see you again'. Her words, dude, not mine," he added when he saw the look on my face.

"Oh yeah, because that makes it so much better," I sighed as I threw myself on the sofa.

"Sorry, man."

"Ah, it's not your fault. Look, Tuck, I'm gonna turn in early tonight, okay?" I said.

"Suit yourself, dude. I'm going to the gym, okay?"

I frowned. "You don't work out."

"Yeah, but Alejandra's sister does," he winked.

I shook my head, though I couldn't help feeling slightly amused. I changed into my pyjama pants and a t-shirt, turned off the light next to me and got into bed.

_Well at least now I don't have to worry about Manson pressing charges against Phantom…instead I can stress about whatever it is Vlad is planning and about why he gave me Samantha without so much as a fight. __Honestly. Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed._


	5. The Persistent Client

Hey; So I know this one is uite short, but I promise the next one will be longer and filled with excitement! :D Enjoy!

* * *

The Persistent Client

My phone beeped. "Mr. Fenton, Mrs. Manson is here," my secretary said over the speaker. I pressed the red button and replied, "Let her in, Karen." It had only been one day since I'd gotten back from my trip with Tucker, and but it seemed Mrs. Manson was in a hurry to let me know that she wanted to drop charges against Phantom- not that I had a problem with that.

Almost before I had let go of the speaker button, Mrs. Manson was standing in my office.

"I need to speak with you," she said hurriedly. I was about to answer when I looked up and realized that she wasn't alone. _Oh great. It's 'I'm-too-good-for-you girl'. _"I've brought along my daughter as well. I hope that's no trouble."

"Of course not," I lied. "I take it Phantom returned her to you?" I said as I extended my hand to shake Samantha's, half expecting her to brush it on her skirt again. Surprisingly, she didn't. _I guess she just has something against ghosts…_.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss Manson," I said, trying to mask the irony and untruth in my voice.

There was a strange look on Samantha's face. Her eyebrows were lightly furrowed; almost like she was trying to place me in her mind. I decided it was high time to change the subject, before she realized who I was.

"So, Mrs. Manson, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, something extremely disturbing has happened to me. A few days ago, I was visited by a ghost named Plasmius. He told me that if he could get Phantom to return my daughter, then I would have to agree to drop the charges against him."

"I see," I said, trying to make my face look as concerned as possible, even though on the inside I was smiling in relief.

"I agreed, but I'm afraid I have no intention of dropping the case." My heart dropped and I tried not to show my disappointment on my face.

I cleared my throat nervously. "And why is that?" I asked with all the politeness I could muster.

"Well don't get me wrong," she said quickly, sensing my displeasure, "It's not that I don't appreciate what that nice Plasmius ghost did for me, but I'm afraid that letting perpetrators off without any judicial punishment just doesn't sit well with me. I'm afraid that Phantom will have to be brought to justice once and for all. After all," she concluded, "he's been terrorizing the citizens of Amity for years."

_Terrorizing? _I yelled in my head. _If it weren't for Phantom then you'd be sprawled on a hospital bed right now! _

"Yes, well," I said tightly, trying not to lose my usually calm composure, "If that's the case, I'll have to ask you to come back later this week- I'll need to prepare the paperwork for the hearing."

I wanted to punch myself. What was I getting into? _There can't be a hearing! How am I supposed to get my ghost-form in a room with my human form? _And yet, here I was, telling my client that I would prepare the paperwork for my doom…

I couldn't help noticing Samantha looking at me again. She had the same expression she had when she first saw me. She seemed to be rummaging through her mind to figure out where she'd seen me before. Deciding it was time for them to leave, I escorted Mrs. Manson and her daughter out the door. As I was opening the door for them to leave, Samantha turned, looked at me and said, "Haven't I seen you before, somewhere?"

I tried to act surprised. "I'm sorry, I don't think so." Usually I didn't feel threatened by people who'd seen me as both Phantom **and** Fenton, but for some reason, I was worried that this girl would figure it out.

"Are you sure? I doubt I'd be wrong about this."

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. "Well I'm afraid you are."

For some reason, the look on her face changed- her eyebrows were no longer furrowed, and the corner of her mouth was lifted in a half smile. Apparently satisfied with my answer, she followed her mother out the door. As soon as they both left, I locked the door and stood with my back against it, as if to prevent anyone else from coming in.

_What the heck do I do now?_

* * *

Like I said, it's quite short- but it was necessary nonetheless! Hope you enjoyed!

Crystal.


	6. Faint

Hi all! So, this used to be a longer chapter but I had to cut it...don't worry, the next one will be longer. Really. I mean it this time... -sheepish grin- I figured I'd at least update it now to make up for it being short. Enjoy! (this one's where it starts to get really interesting :D )

Btw, the title's an allusion to the linkin park song...not that they have anything to do with this chapter, but you know ;D Oh, and Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians out there!

Crystal

* * *

Faint

_Buzz! Buzz!_

I groaned as I reached over to my alarm clock and turned off the buzzer. Groggy, I opened my eyes and stared at the alarm clock. _7:45…if I don't get up now I'm gonna be late for work, _I thought tiredly. My head was pounding the way it usually did when I was sick or when I was about to get a migraine and I felt dizzy. _Great; this is the __**perfect **__time to get sick…_ I thought sarcastically. I tried to get out of bed, but the second I sat up, my vertigo worsened. With a sigh, I reached for my cell; even though I was a known workaholic, I still knew how to take a day off when I was feeling unwell. I called Karen and told her to cancel my appointments for the day.

I spent at least one more hour in bed. My head was thumping like crazy and soon enough, my muscles joined in. At first, it was just an ache in my right leg, but soon enough, every muscle in my body was screaming with pain. I was about to get up to go to the washroom when I heard my doorbell ring. I put on a shirt and slowly trudged to the front door. I felt like I'd just run a marathon across the country.

I opened the door without even thinking to check the peephole first. What greeted me was definitely not something I wanted to see first thing in the morning- especially when I was already feeling sick to start off with: Samantha Manson.

"Hi…Am I interrupting something?" she asked cheekily.

"No," I answered tightly, wondering how she even got my address. "Is there something I can help you with Miss Manson?" I said, trying to be civil.

"Yeah, actually," she said as she walked in. "And it's Sam." She took a seat on my couch. Seeing that she was making herself comfortable, I figured I should offer her some coffee, if not out of sheer politeness.

"Well, would you like some coffee or something?"

"No, I'm fine," she answered curtly. "Would you please just sit down?"

_Okaayy…_

I sat down on the couch in front of her. Before I could say anything, she spoke. _Like mother, like daughter, _I thought as I realized that her mom had also done this to me several times during our appointments.

"My mom's dropping charges."

My eyes widened, and my heart fluttered. "Really?" I asked, trying not to seem too interested.

"Yeah. I figured I'd persuade her to drop it," she said, fumbling with her keys, but never taking her eyes off me.

I stayed silent, remembering the way Samantha had acted when she was in my office. She hadn't figured it out, had she? She didn't know I was Phantom, right?

She continued. "I figured I owed you one. You know, since you saved me."

_Crap. She knows. _

"I really don't know what you mean by that," I lied.

"Oh, come on!" she said. "How stupid do you think I am? You look just like him, but with inverted colours. You both have the same mannerisms; you both raise your eyebrows in the same cute wa-," she stopped, realizing what she had just said. Her eyes widened, as if in embarrassment, and I couldn't help but smile a little. _So...she thinks I'm cute, huh? _She quickly resumed her speech, pretending she'd never slipped up. "You got all upset when you found out my mother was still going on with the case- it's because you thought if you saved me from that Plasmius guy then you wouldn't have to defend my mother against yourself in court. You're a hybrid, aren't you?"

My half smile grew. "Yeah. A cute hybrid, apparently."

She huffed the same way she had done the first time I'd met her. "That was a mistake," she said, before suddenly realizing something, "Wait! So you admit it, then? You really are a hybrid!"

I swallowed. _Crap. She's good…_ "Um…" I sighed, "Yes. Yes, I am. But you have to promise not to tell anyon- agh!" Before I could finish my sentence, I felt a searing pain through my right arm.

"Would you stop faking? I know you just want to change the subject," she rolled her eyes. When she saw that I didn't reply, she dropped her tough-girl façade and ran over to me. "Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" I had fallen of my chair and was squirming on the floor. "What's happening? Are you alright? Should I call the hospital?" she asked hurriedly.

I managed to mumble a 'no' before the ceiling stopped spinning, and then, turned into a sea of darkness as I blacked out.

* * *

Again, sorry for the shortness! Hopefully the content makes up for it?


	7. Unwanted Visits

Hey all :D I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I know it's been awhile; it's actually cuz I don't have the next few chapters written yet- so the next updates may be more sporadic...

Anyways, this is my fave chapter so far... enjoy!

* * *

Unwanted Visits

"I think he's coming around," I heard someone whisper.

I opened my eyes, blinking to clear my blurry vision. I was in my bed, and Sam and her father were leaning over me. In the corner of my room, Tucker and Val were standing, looking at me with worried faces.

"Mm what's going on?" I asked groggily. My face was burning and my muscles were still aching, though less so than before.

"Well, Mr. Fenton," I heard Dr. Manson explain, "You gave us quite the little scare." I tried to sit up to get a better view of what was going on, but he gently pushed me back down into the bed. "I'm afraid you'll have to stay in bed for at least the rest of the day, Daniel."

Still feeling bleary and dazed, I asked, "What day is it?"

"Dude, it's Wednesday. You've been asleep for the past twenty-six hours," Tucker said; his voice sounded very far away.

Barely registering what Dr. Manson was saying (he'd started speaking again), I closed my eyes again. I was still suffering from a minor headache and the light in the room was making it worse. Suddenly, I felt a cold sensation on my chest- Dr. Manson was checking my breathing with his stethoscope. As soon as the cold feeling left, I heard Tucker whispering something in my ear.

"Danny, is this is a ghost thing? 'Cause if it is, I can get-,"

I shook my head slightly. "Mm...no " I managed to stammer. Every word I spoke made my head want to explode. "I..I don't know what it is."

"Mr. Foley, I'm sorry," the doctor started again, "But Mr. Fenton needs to rest. I'll have to ask all of you to leave the room, please."

My vision started blurring again. "Doctor..." I managed. I didn't really know what I wanted from him- all I knew was that I felt like I was about to pass out and I needed him to do something. My skin was burning but I had broken out in a cold sweat.

I heard the door close and Doctor Manson came and set a cold towel on my forehead. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep again was, "Poor kid..."

* * *

When I awoke again, it was dark outside._ Geez, that was a heck of a nightmare_ I thought, blinking to adjust my eyes to the light that had been left on in my room. Thankfully however, I was feeling much better. I slipped on a pair of shoes and an old robe (I didn't usually wear it, but I was cold) and headed for the living room. I heard voices from the hallway- when I arrived in the living room, I was greeted by hugs and pats on the back by Tuck and Val.

"How are you doing now?" Valerie asked.

"Better, thanks," I answered.

"What happened anyways, Danny?" Tucker said, sitting back down. I joined him on the opposite couch.

"No idea," I said, suppressing a yawn. I was about to elaborate when I noticed Samantha was sitting in the corner of the room, fiddling with her keys again. She seemed to be kind of cut off from the conversation. Trying to ease the awkwardness, I said, "Uh, thanks, Samantha; you know...for calling your dad. He's a great doctor."

She smiled. "Don't mention it. And it's Sam," she reminded me. I managed to smile back. She was kind of cute, actually. She had real nice eyes.

Tucker, who seemed to have noticed our interaction, exchanged looks with Valerie. "You know," he said to Saman- I mean Sam, "Danny's a really good kisser," he faltered. "Oh, not that I would know! He was voted best kisser in high school in the yearbook, I mean!" he said quickly, trying to cover up his mistake,

Sam's smile grew; she even laughed a bit. Valerie rolled her eyes at Tucker's 'eloquence' and I tried to hit Tuck with a rolled up newspaper I'd found next to me- fortunately for him, he was too far away.

Trying to alleviate the awkwardness, I asked, "Does anyone want coffee?" as I rose from my seat. Sam and Val were both about to volunteer to make it, but I assured them I was okay. I took orders and asked Tucker to join me in the kitchen.

As soon as we had made it into the kitchen, Tucker opened his big mouth again, "She's cute, huh? Perfect for you."

"Yeah, that's great and all, but do you think you could take just one day off from your matchmaking job and not embarrass me?" I asked as I poured some coffee into some mugs.

He shrugged. I handed him two cups of coffee and brought out my own cup along with Sam's. The four of us spent the rest of the evening hours talking, as we got to know Sam and vice-versa. Valerie informed me that the Doctor Manson said I had simply collapsed from stress. Though I found it hard to believe that so much pain could be associated with just stress, I was happy to hear that it was nothing serious...even though it had felt like I was dying.

Eventually, Tucker and Valerie said they had to leave and I walked them out, thanking them for having dropped by. "If you need anything, then just call, okay?" Val said. I nodded and said thanks.

When I returned to the living room, I found that Sam was already getting up and getting her purse. "I guess I should be going, too," she said nervously, apparently uncomfortable now that Tucker and Valerie were no longer there.

"You don't have to go," I said quickly. "In fact, I was about to make dinner. If you want to stay..." I trailed off, admittedly hopeful. She was definitely cute, and despite Tucker's faux-pas, she seemed to be kind of interested in me too.

She smiled. "Well, I guess I could. Thank you."

She followed me into the kitchen and took a seat on one of my counters as I pulled some chicken and vegetables out of the fridge. As I washed, chopped and cooked the food, we talked about everything from childhood, to work and family. Lucky for me, she was single. Soon the table was set, the food was ready and we sat down to dinner.

"Wow!" she exclaimed as she tasted the food, "This is amazing. Who knew a bachelor could cook so well?" she joked.

I smiled. "Thanks. I think."

We finished dinner in silence. Finally, as she put down her fork, she said, "So, is Tucker right? Were you really voted best kisser in high school?"

I felt my face burn up in embarrassment. "Um, yeah, but you know that was a few years ago and..."

She smiled. "Wow. Great cook, great kisser and a superhero. What more could a girl want? I'm surprised someone hasn't snatched you up yet," she laughed.

"Yeah, well," I reddened.

"Maybe it's your constant tendency to turn red in public?" she winked.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically. _Great laugh and a sense of humor? Maybe Tuck wasn't wrong about her._

She was about to say something else, when I felt a huge shock make it's way through my body. I closed my eyes in pain and my heart rate quickened.

"Oh are you alright, Danny?" She asked, raising from her seat. I put my hand up to stop her. "Yeah I'm okay I just-" Another shock made its way through my body. Suddenly, I heard a crash behind me, followed by Sam muttering venomously, "It's you."

I opened my eyes to see what was happening. In front of me stood Vlad Masters.

"Oh dear," he said, his voice laced with ridicule, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"What are you doing here, Vlad?" I managed, though it was still difficult to speak from all the pain.

"Well Daniel," he said, his voice too happy for me not to be suspicious, "It appears you are finally getting a spoonful of revenge. How's it taste? I personally find it to be very sweet."

I felt my hatred for him rise. "What are you talking about, Masters?" I spat.

"My dear boy, since you refuse to join me, I've decided to take your powers," he said casually, as though he were speaking about the weather.

"Excuse me?"

"By taking your ghostly half, I'm able to harness your powers and combine them with my own. You see my boy, I no longer need you to join me- I already have all your power plus my own."

"I take it this electrocution business is all part of your plan, then?" I struggled through the pain.

He laughed. "Such an observant boy! I also caused that little 'fainting' scenario earlier. But no worries, your pain will soon disappear, as will your ghostly half."

Before I could protest, Vlad had disappeared. Sam had her arm around me. "What a jerk," she sputtered angrily, before looking at me and asking, "Are you alright, Danny?"

"Yeah I just need to lie down, I think."

She helped me over to the couch where I lay down. "Geez, that Vlad just never gives up, does he?" I sighed, putting my hand on my forehead.

"But I don't understand," said Sam. "Why would he want your powers?"

"World domination," I said dryly.

"Oh well then, what did he mean when he said your ghostly half would disappear?"

I realized Sam brought up a good point. "I dunno maybe I should try transforming just to make sure," I said. Slowly, I got up and concentrated on my alter ego. As usual, two rings appeared around my waist, but then, they fizzled out and disappeared. "That's weird," I whispered to myself. I tried again, but this time, the rings didn't even appear.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"I dunno," I answered. "I can't seem to transform. Here, let me try again." I tried again, but to no avail.

"Aw, geez he really did manage to get rid of my ghost powers. I can't even transform into Phantom anymore..." I pulled my phone out of my pants pocket and texted Tucker to come over as soon as possible.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Sam asked.

"I think so," I said, sending the text. "I mean, it's not really dangerous to have your powers taken away... The only problem is that now I'm gonna have to stop Vlad's evil plans without my ghost half. Tucker's the only other person who knows about Phantom, so hopefully he'll have some ideas." _One thing's for sure-, _I promised myself,_ Plasmius is not getting away with this_.


	8. Decisions Decisions

Hi! I don't know why, but for some reason my chapters keep getting shorter :S Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this one! And just for fun, I wanna know your predictions :D Let me know what you think is going to happen after this chapter; see endnote for more details.

Happy reading!

* * *

Decisions, Decisions

"What do you mean she knows about your powers?" Tucker cried, almost knocking my microwave off the counter. Tucker had come over awhile ago after receiving my text message, but he had needed a moment alone with me to come to terms with the fact that Sam knew about Phantom.

"Tucker," I said exasperatedly. "That's not the point! I've lost my powers here! Vlad could be out planning the destruction of the planet and we're just sitting here- we need to do _something."_

Pouting, he answered, "Fine. But when I said she was cute I didn't mean that you should go blab all your secrets to her!"

I sighed in frustration."Yeah, okay Tucker. Look, will you just come back to the living room with me?" He followed me out where Sam was sitting patiently and waiting for us.

"Everything all sorted out?" she asked. I nodded as Tucker and I took a seat.

"So, what are we going to do about this?" Sam asked.

"I'm usually the one who starts the ghost meetings around here…" Tucker muttered. I shot him a look that said, _Would you just be quiet?_

"We probably need to go to the Ghost Zone and stop this Plasmius," Sam said. "While I was with him, I was staying in a castle in what he called the Ghost Zone's underworld…"

"The Ghost Zone's underworld?" I frowned. I'd never heard of that before. Unless…Tucker and I exchanged glances as we simultaneously realized, "Pariah's Castle!"

"Yeah!" Sam said, snapping her fingers. "That's what he called it."

"Okay, well if we're going to stage an attack against Vlad, we need to have a plan," Tucker said. "Danny, give me your phone." I handed him my blackberry. He opened the Ghost Zone application and started pushing buttons. I looked over his shoulder. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm trying to map out Pariah's Castle and pinpoint it on the general Ghost Map," he answered, still vigorously pressing buttons, his fingers moving at the speed of light. Finally, he cried, "Got it! I've located the Castle on the map and I outlined the way to get there."

"Nice one, Tuck!" I said, giving him a high-five. "Now, if we can just get this portal to appear…"

"I'm on it!" Tucker began pressing buttons again.

"Um, Danny," Sam started, "What exactly do you plan on doing? After all, what can you do to him without your powers?"

"Good point," I answered. "Against Vlad's powers **and **my own, I won't be able to do much."

Tucker, who was still typing furiously on my phone, said, "I think maybe this needs to be an inside job."

I was about to protest- I knew what Tucker meant by an 'inside job'- but I stopped my objection as I realized Tucker had been fiddling with my phone for an awfully long time, "Tuck? Are you still working on the Ghost Zone application?"

Tucker grinned sheepishly, "Oh…no I'm done," he said apologetically. "I was just playing solitaire…"

I sighed. "Anyways," Tucker said as he gave back my phone, "You need to infiltrate the perimeters and steal your powers back."

"That's right," said Sam. "He kept muttering that if you agreed to join him, he'd drop his 'plan'. I guess now we know what his stupid plan was. Maybe if you 'join' him, he'll give you your powers back..."

I groaned, sounding a lot like a little kid who didn't want to do his homework.

"Come on, man," Tucker tried to persuade me. "This is the only way. Just get all buddy-buddy with Vlad. Make him feel like he's your father. Then, once you've won him over, find out where he's storing your powers and find a way to get them back."

"But, how do I know hasn't already combined my powers with his own? How do I know they're still being stored?"

"You don't, dude. But this is the only way."

I glanced at Sam. "He's right," she agreed.

"Look," Tucker maintained, "We'll keep in contact with you the whole time. Just like in high school; with the Fenton Phones and the Fenton RV. Remember?"

"Yeah," I argued tersely, "but it's not like high school! Tuck, I have a job; I have responsibilities! I can't just leave my home for who-knows-how-long to go be Vlad's son-,"

"Danny!" he yelled, interrupting me, "You don't get it, do you? You think this is just about getting your powers back, don't you? Because it isn't!"

"What are you talki-,"

"Danny," he said, taking a deep breath to calm himself, "When you went in your parents' portal, you DNA was _changed. _You were no longer a complete human."

"Yeah," I said, "I became a human with ghost powers."

"But that's just it!" Tucker pointed out, "You _didn't _become a human with ghost powers. **Your DNA was altered. **You lost half your humanity and it was replaced by a ghost half. If you lose that ghost half, then you'll be losing half your DNA, Danny. You can't live with only fifty percent of your genetic material. It's only a matter of time before you…you know…" he trailed off, less snappish now.

"Before I die," I said quietly, finishing Tucker's sentence.

He looked down at the floor. Sam's expression was one of utter horror. I dropped back into my seat. A few moments of silence passed.

"Then, I guess it's the only way," I concluded.

Tucker patted me on the back. "Hey, we'll figure it out, okay?" he promised.

Sam smiled as she gave me her hand. "It's going to be fine," she concurred.

Tucker rose and went to my room. When he returned, his arms were filled with ghost gadgets he'd no doubt gotten from the back of my closet, where I kept my weapons. He dropped them onto the table.

"Okay," he sighed, "We're going to need you to pack a bag and hide some weapons in it in case you need to defend yourself." He put aside the Fenton Ghost Peeler and the Ecto-blaster for this purpose. "These are the Fenton Phones," he continued, picking up three pairs of green earphones. He handed one to me, one to Sam and kept one for himself. "We can use these to communicate."

Still somewhat dazed, I said. "I guess I ought to go pack a bag." I made my way to my room while Tucker explained to Sam how to use the Fenton Phones. Once in my room, I pulled out my duffel bag and threw in a bunch of clothes and other necessary articles. I changed into some jeans and a t-shirt (I noticed I was still in my pyjamas) and headed back for the living room, where Tucker handed me some weapons to hide in my bag.

"Danny, I think we should keep your phone. Vlad already knows that it's a portal," Tucker explained to Sam, "And if he sees it, he's sure to try to get it away from him."

"I dunno…" I said uneasily.

"We can help guide you through the Zone. And since we'll be in constant communication, we'll be able to open up the Ghost Portal whenever you need it," Sam said.

I agreed. Finally, we had decided on the plan. Tucker would activate the Ghost Portal through my phone and I'd go in. Then, through the Fenton Phones, he and Sam would direct me to Pariah's Castle, aka Vlad's place. Then, once I gained Vlad's trust, I would find out if he was still storing my powers. If so, I'd just need to get them back. If he'd already combined them with his own, I'd use the Handheld Fenton Ghost Catcher to get them back.

I rubbed my hands together, and with a tone of finality, said, "Well, I guess this is it."

"Alright," Tucker said, "You ready?"

I nodded. He pointed the phone in front of him and pressed a few buttons, opening the hologram portal before us. With a deep breath, I bid them farewell and entered the Zone.

The last thing I heard before disappearing was, 'please be safe'…

* * *

Okay, so its kinda obvious Danny's going to Vlad's ;) But I mean, what do you think will happen when he gets there? How will Vlad receive him? Will he get his powers back? Let me know!


End file.
